Alaska Native Voting Rights A Report of the Alaska Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights June 2019 Advisory Committees to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights By law, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has established an advisory committee in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The committees are composed of state citizens who serve without compensation. The committees advise the Commission of civil rights issues in their states that are within the Commission’s jurisdiction. More specifically, they are authorized to advise the Commission in writing of any knowledge or information they have of any alleged deprivation of voting rights and alleged discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, national origin, or in the administration of justice; advise the Commission on matters of their state’s concern in the preparation of Commission reports to the President and the Congress; receive reports, suggestions, and recommendations from individuals, public officials, and representatives of public and private organizations to committee inquiries; forward advice and recommendations to the Commission, as requested; and observe any open hearing or conference conducted by the Commission in their states. Letter of Transmittal Alaska Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights The Alaska Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (Committee) submits this report regarding the effectiveness of the implementation of the Toyukak v. Mallott settlement and court order related to language access, and the potential disparate impact of a statewide vote by mail system on Alaska Native voters. The Committee submits this report, a more extensive analysis than the advisory memorandum submitted to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in March of 2018, as part of its responsibility to study and report on civil rights issues in the state of Alaska. The contents of this report are based on testimony the Committee heart during a public briefing on August 24, 2017 in Anchorage, Alaska; and two web hearings on June 19, 2018 and August 1, 2018. This report documents an evaluation of the state’s effort in 2016 to implement the Toyukak v. Mallott settlement and court order related to language access for Alaska Native voters, and examines concerns regarding the potential impact of vote by mail—a move that the State was considering during the gathering of evidence and before the production of this report. The State has since decided it will not implement a vote by mail system at this time. This could change at any time, so the information contained in this report is still relevant and being presented in its entirety. Based on the findings of this report, the Committee offers to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights recommendations for addressing the issue of voting rights for Alaska Natives and communities requiring language assistance. The Committee recognizes that the Commission has previously issued important studies about voting and civil rights nationwide and hopes that the information presented here continues the efforts of the Commission in protecting voting rights across the nation. Alaska Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Natalie Landreth, Chair, Alaska Advisory Committee, Anchorage Robin Bronen, Anchorage Gerald A. McBeath, Fairbanks Nelson J. Godoy, Anchorage Elizabeth Medicine Crow, Anchorage Paula M. Haley, Anchorage Denise R. Morris, Chugiak Cynthia Henry, Fairbanks Margaret D. Stock, Anchorage John L. Hoffman, Anchorage Venus S. Woods, Anchorage Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Executive Summary .............................................................................................................. 1 II. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 9 IV. Background ......................................................................................................................... 10 A. The United States Voting Rights Act.......................................................................................... 11 I. Section 203 of the United States Voting Rights Act ................................................................. 12 I. Alaska Native Demography and Landscape .............................................................................. 14 II. Brief History of Alaska Native Voting Rights .......................................................................... 17 B. Toyukak v. Mallott ........................................................................................................................ 19 C. Vote by Mail System .................................................................................................................... 22 V. Summary of Panel Testimony ............................................................................................ 25 A. Division of Elections Implementation of Toyukak v. Mallott Settlement and Court Order ... 25 I. Current Progress ........................................................................................................................ 26 II. Division of Elections’ Current Challenges ................................................................................ 32 B. Implementation in Practice Through the Lens of Alaska Voters ............................................ 34 I. Poll Worker Training ................................................................................................................. 35 II. Translation of Election Materials .............................................................................................. 36 III. Disparate Impact ........................................................................................................................ 36 IV. Efforts of Alaska Native Organizations ..................................................................................... 37 A. Examining the Potential Impact of a Vote by Mail System ..................................................... 38 I. Challenges ................................................................................................................................. 39 II. Complying with Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act ............................................................. 41 III. Best Practices ............................................................................................................................. 41 VI. Findings and Recommendations ........................................................................................ 42 A. Findings ......................................................................................................................................... 42 B. Recommendations ........................................................................................................................ 50 VII. APPENDIX .......................................................................................................................... 53 A. Timeline of Events Related to Study .......................................................................................... 53 B. Toyukak v. Mallott Stipulated Judgement and Court Order .................................................... 53 C. Division of Elections Reports ...................................................................................................... 53 I. Perceptions of Ballot Delivery Systems: Findings from A Survey with Registered Voters in Three Areas in Rural (Region IV) Alaska .......................................................................................... 53 II. Bethel Focus Groups ................................................................................................................. 53 III. Voting Methods Survey ............................................................................................................. 53 D. Verification of the Mailed Official Election Pamphlets Submitted by the Division of Elections ................................................................................................................................................. 53 E. Distribution List for Regional Educational Attendance Area Sample Ballots Submitted by the Division of Elections ....................................................................................................................... 53 F. Email to Election Policy Work Group from Josie Bahnke ...................................................... 53 G. Written Testimony: ...................................................................................................................... 53 I. Grace Mulipola, Bristol Bay Native Corporation ...................................................................... 53 Table of Contents II. Elizabeth Steele, Colorado Common Cause .............................................................................. 53 III. Dr. James Tucker, Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker, LLP .................................. 53 IV. Josie Bahnke, State of Alaska Division of Elections ................................................................. 53 H. Photos of Rural Voting and Urban Voting Experiences .......................................................... 53 I. Federal Register Notice for Voting Rights Act Amendments of 2006, Determinations Under Section 203 ............................................................................................................................................. 53